Windows WinSxS Directory Cleanup

Below are instructions that can be used to help remove some annoying vulnerabilities on Windows machines.

The Windows side by side directory many times contains old outdated version of DLL's that effect your systems and provide an attack surface for hackers to leverage.

Using the /StartComponentCleanup parameter of Dism.exe on a running version of Windows 10 or later gives you similar results to running the StartComponentCleanup task in Task Scheduler, except previous versions of updated components will be immediately deleted (without a 30 day grace period) and you will not have a 1-hour timeout limitation.

From an elevated command prompt, run:

additional information can be found here:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/clean-up-the-winsxs-folder?view=windows-11

NOTE: After the cleanup is finished, it is a good idea to re-scan the asset within the Nodeware system.